The Holidays Can Get a Little Batty Ch. 04

"Thanks sweety. I really hope you have a wonderful evening." Nora said quietly against her daughter's feathery hair.

"We will mom." Noelle replied just as softly, no teasing to her voice.

The Blonde mother and daughter broke apart much easier than Veronica had allowed, allowing Nora to turn to Miri and see how uncertain he seemed as he stood to the sidelines.

"I don't suppose you'd mind?" Nora offered half-jokingly as she opened her arms to the ever-indecisive little Bat, knowing it was always easier for him to do what other's asked rather than ask for something himself.

And that seemed to set him at ease as he just gave a short chuckle and smiled warmly back at the older woman.

"Not at all, Miss Beaufort." The young Beast said as he stepped up and offered himself to the lovely Blonde's warm embrace, always a much less taxing experience than the frantic affection his own mother forced on him.

Nora gave her daughter's boyfriend a last squeeze for good measure before letting him loose too, taking a step back to stand beside Veronica in slight anticipation of having to stop her from grabbing onto their kids again. And apparently Noelle was thinking along similar lines.

"Alright, I think we really do have to get on the road now before we lose our dinner reservations." The teen said as she hooked her arm around Miri's and started to pull him towards the front door, making it clear they weren't going to let the gushy mothers delay them anymore, although they did follow their children to the door.

"Drive safe!" Veronica frantically called, almost as an afterthought once her kids' feet were past the threshold.

"And make sure you call us at the end of the dance!" Nora added, sounding much more like her usual authoritative self.

"And make sure you two have fun!" Veronica cried one final time before the kids were too far down the driveway and she had no choice but to close the door.

While the mothers were saying their farewells, Miri and Noelle made their way straight to Veronica's jet-black Lexus, which she had so graciously insisted the kids take after they'd told her they didn't really want to join Noelle's friends in renting a limo (Miri especially, not wanting to risk getting in any confined space where Olivia could easily get her hands on him).

The second they heard the front door close and they knew they'd escaped their mothers' gravity, Miri and Noelle shared a mutual sigh of relief and a small laugh.

"Well, at least they didn't suffocate us too bad. Or for too long, anyway." Miri joked as they stood beside his mom's car.

"I know, this must be a banner year for them. Your mom especially." Noelle readily agreed.

Miri had to shake his head at that, clearly humored by what she'd said.

"You think she's bad now, she was even worse when I was a kid, like before we met."

That admittance got a small giggle and a curious look out of Noelle.

"You're about to graduate, you're a few months form heading to college and she still sticks to you like flypaper. Just how bad was she back then?"

"Don't get me started. She made me sleep in her bed with her practically every night until I was almost ten!" Miri said, the years-long exhaustion obvious in his voice.

Unfortunately, the Chiropteran quickly realized that was the wrong thing to admit to Noelle, as she immediately gushed as soon as he said that and grabbed for his hand.

"No way, that is so incredibly adorable! Oh, tell me there's pictures, I'd give anything to see my Miri as a cute little Pup all snuggly and cuddly with his mommy!"

"Why do I still tell you things I know I'll immediately regret?" Miri bemoaned, turning his face slightly while his fur turned that wonderfully embarrassed shade of pinkish-purple, the color that always made Noelle smirk harder than anything else.

"You do it because you love me and you know I'll find out everything about you anyways." She smugly replied with absolute certainty.

"Well, at least one of those is true." Miri passively replied with a short sigh, but Noelle just sniffed and playfully flicked at his ear. That at least wormed a little laugh out of him.

"Okay, okay. Now come on, we really are running short on time." The Bat said definitively as he made his way to the driver's door, Noelle rolling her eyes after him.

"Yeah, good thing for us you're such a reckless speed demon, otherwise we might really be in trouble."

***

7:13 PM, Odessa High School, Prom Welcoming

***

Miri had just handed their tickets to the admissions booth, and with Noelle so happily wrapped around his arm the young couple made their way into the throng of hundreds of similarly paired teenagers. Their school was certainly not a small one, and they used nearly all the available space they could to set up for the biggest event of the year. The main dancefloor and gathering area was centered in the football field just behind the building, but festivities leaked inside as well, spread through the cafeteria, gymnasium, and most of the large open spaces on the first floor.

Most everyone was still in the arriving stage, so the events of the evening had yet to really kick off. At this point it looked like most people were just gathering in their typical social groups and saying hello to one another, and likewise it did not take long for Noelle to spot her two best friends and tug Miri over to go greet them. Olivia caught them just as quickly and started ecstatically waving towards them, with Charlotte offering a polite smile and small gesture of her own.

Getting closer afforded Miri a better look at the two girls, and as much as the Bat had been floored by his own girlfriend's prom dress he wasn't nearly a good enough liar to act like Noelle's friends wouldn't make him drool just as hard.

Olivia was wearing a blazing pink satin dress that would've seemed too obnoxious on anyone else but fit the always stand-out Redhead perfectly. Her skirt puffed out a bit and was noticeably shorter than the other girls', falling just above her knees and almost making her appear like a pink tulip. The strapless top actually fell somewhat surprisingly high, dipping down just enough to allow a glimpse at her chest and flowing out in two bands that wrapped loosely around her upper arms. And the long, brilliant Red hair that she so often wore in her trademark pigtails had all been fed into a soft, loose braid that fell nearly midway down her back.

Charlotte, Miri was quite surprised to see, had arguably the boldest dress of the three. The tall Brunette actually wore a two-piece, glittery gold dress. The top piece hugged to her chest like a second skin, completely covering her front and cinching around her neck but leaving a lot of her side exposed, a faded gold highlighted with black floral patterns. A slight exposed midriff separated her top from the skirt, the same glittery gold material with some black highlighting, and much the same as Noelle's, flowing long down to her feet with an enticing slit allowing flashes of her leg. Her own Dark hair was sculpted into soft waves and then cinched back into a long tail.

Miri just managed to stop his gawking once Noelle pulled free from him to embrace her girlfriends, giving each of them a light, very lady-like hug to ensure none of their outfits were messed up.

"Oh my gosh, girls, you both look so incredible!" Noelle beamed brilliantly at her two prettied-up best friends.

"Just as good as you look, Noelle." Charlotte praised back through a reserved smile.

"Seriously Noelle, holy shit! I've been dying to see you fill out that dress since you got it!" Olivia bombastically proclaimed as she practically buzzed around her friend. "Of course, we all would've looked even cuter if we'd shown up all together." The Redhead then pathetically feigned annoyance.

"Sorry, but look on the bright side. We'll definitely steal the spotlight for the rest of the night." Noelle easily countered with her usual smirk.

As the girls giggled, gushed, fawned over one another's looks, and typically acted as girly as he'd seen them, Miri was finally forced to lock eyes with Olivia and Charlotte's dates, offering as non-pathetic of a smile as he could and forcing himself to approach the two.

"Heya... Ethan, Laurent..." Miri greeted as awkwardly as he ever did when he didn't have a choice but to talk to people.

"Hey Miri."

"Sup dude."

The two other boys greeted back noticeably more easily than the Bat. Ethan was Olivia's date for the evening and Laurent was accompanying Charlotte. Both had been somewhat late in asking the two girls to the Prom, but Miri had still been aware of their presence going in. And in an admittedly slightly surprising twist for Miri, both also happened to be Beast kids like himself.

Ethan was a witty, some might even say too-well-spoken devil of a Raccoon. He was a prominent member of the school's drama club and had been a lead in many of their plays. Standing just a little taller than Miri, the brazen young Beast had a much cockier smirk to offer his Batty counterpart while his large, striped tail swished playfully at his back. He was well known to have a quick tongue and a snarky attitude, and Miri couldn't help but wonder if Olivia picked him specifically because it clashed so sharply against her own... then again he was also quite the cute, fluffy, stuffed-animal type that he knew the precocious Redhead liked so much.

Laurent meanwhile stood in stark contrast to either of the other two Beasts. Charlotte's date was an impressively built Tegu Lizard, easily a head taller and much burlier than Miri or Ethan, and unsurprisingly found success as an offensive lineman on the school's football team. He was much less talkative than the drama artist that was Ethan, though not nearly so timid as Miri. In fact he was much more polite than his imposing demeanor would suggest, and friendly enough when dealing with... most people at the school. Most students would probably be surprised to find out he was actually in the top twenty grade-wise. Miri would've bet those were the key reasons Charlotte would've accepted him, to find such a hulking brute of a body was actually hiding an intelligent, level-headed mind... though there was also the fact that Miri knew the cool and collected girl had secretly become hooked on the ferocious strength and nature that a Beast lover would treat her with.

Miri obviously didn't run in either of the social circles that Ethan or Laurent did, but he did still kinda know them both, there weren't all that many Animal kids in the school after all. Still, his interactions with either one were very few and far between, though they were usually friendly enough, even though if pressed Miri would have to admit that Ethan was a bit of an overdramatic prick and Laurent could come across as just a little too standoffish. But right now, with all three of their dates so focused on themselves, these two were all he had.

"So, how was your guys' limo ride?" Miri tentatively forced himself to speak to the two.

"Overpriced. You were the smart one not getting in on that waste." Laurent admitted candidly, though giving the Bat a bit of a grin that surprisingly helped to start to put him at ease.

"Cripes, you two seriously have no sense of style. It's our prom, you have to arrive in a limo!" Ethan, on the other hand, was plenty quick to adamantly defend his position.

"Honestly, I really wish you and Noelle would've joined us Miri. If you two had been riding with us it would've given Olivia more of a reason to pack herself in tight with me." The Raccoon continued with a sly grin. Miri offered a weak chuckle in response, while Laurent just blew a quick snort through his nose.

"Yeah, sorry for skipping out on you four. I guess I just kinda..." The Bat nervously led on.

"Wanted at least a little privacy with Noelle?" Laurent suddenly filled in for him.

"Heh, I guess so."

"Well I suppose I can't exactly blame you for that. You are one seriously lucky guy to have wound up with a girl like her." Ethan but in to rib at Miri, all three of the young Beasts then turning to look at their three pretty dates who were still completely absorbed in their own conversation.

"Don't let her know that." Miri replied completely absentmindedly as his anxiousness softened just by watching his girlfriend smile and laugh. Surprisingly though, that got a hard chuckle out of Ethan.

"Ha! You know, for all of high school I never once took you for a wise guy, but look at you now. I'll admit, you've got a lot more guts than I would've ever guessed, Miri. Of course, I probably should've expected that already, shouldn't I?" The Raccoons voice quieted down suspiciously at that, causing Miri to turn back to give him a curious look.

"What do you mean?" The Bat asked in honest confusion, but Ethan just seemed to brush him off with another knowing chuckle.

"That actually reminds me, I've been meaning to thank you for tonight. So should Laurent, for that matter." Ethan led on again, and Miri just gave him an even more confused look. The Bat briefly glanced over to Laurent, partially expecting the Tegu to look just as mixed up as he was, but he himself was just wearing the faintest trace of a smug grin as he eyed Miri alongside Ethan.

"Now don't get me wrong, Noelle's a stunner, no question, but Olivia and Charlotte... just, damn. We're a couple'a real lucky bastards to have them as our dates tonight, but from the way I hear things those girls would never have given a couple of Animals like us the time of day if it hadn't been for you." Ethan focused hard on Miri with an intensely smug grin, and at once Miri's spine stiffened as he fully understood what exactly the other Beast was referring too.

"...!..." The Bat could only let out a choked little sound as his eyes widened in embarrassment. But that just caused Ethan and even Laurent to laugh darkly again, and if he was being honest Miri really wasn't sure how he should've felt about it.

"Seems you really changed their attitudes about us. Gotta say, kudos. Never would've imagined a little guy like you would have it in you." The big Lizard congratulated him with just as leering a grin as the Raccoon.

"Y-yeah, uhh... j-just glad everything worked out, I guess..." Miri stammered as his eyes darted every way except towards the other two Beast teens. He didn't think they were being sarcastic or trying to hold anything over him, hell it almost sounded like they were genuinely impressed and grateful. Of course, that didn't mean it didn't make Miri extremely uncomfortable to talk about in the open.

Thank the Gods, by that time it seemed the girls had remembered they'd all actually come to Prom with their own dates and were coming back to rejoin the three Beast boys.

"Sorry for that. I hope you boys were behaving yourselves." Noelle sung as she came back up to Miri's side and gently wrapped herself around her date's arm.

"Well I hope they haven't been behaving themselves. This night is supposed to be fun!" Olivia brattily joked as she glomped much more exuberantly onto Ethan, to the Raccoon's smug satisfaction.

"Your kind of fun would get us kicked out of here before the first slow dance." Charlotte shot dully at her friend as she stepped up to Laurent, letting the big Lizard snare an arm around her shoulder without complaint.

"Would not! I fully plan on having my perfect prom night with Ethan here." Olivia feigned offense before turning her dreamy eyes on her date.

"And I fully plan on delivering." The Racoon promised just as dramatically as he took Olivia fully in his arms and dipped her slightly, the Redhead laughing and smiling bright in obvious enjoyment.

Charlotte couldn't help rolling her eyes and cast a mildly annoyed look to Noelle, but the girl just smiled apologetically back at her friend.

"Let her have this."

*

The six chatted a little while longer, that is to say the girls chatted a little longer with occasional input from their dates, but eventually Olivia decided she wanted to check out more of the school grounds and how they'd been dressed up for the night and rather demandingly dragged off Ethan. Likewise Laurent had mentioned wanting to go find some of his football friends with Charlotte seemingly not opposed to letting him lead her for a while. They all vaguely agreed to meet back later in the evening to dance together, but with the crowds really starting to get thick it wasn't long before the others were lost and Miri was again left alone with Noelle, a fact she decided to drive home by gently elbowing him to get his full attention back.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" She playfully teased as she could see the Bat visibly relax again.

"Guess not. At least not while Olivia's got someone else to focus on." Miri nervously joked back, and to his relief that earned a happy giggle from his girlfriend.

"Come on, I bet they'll be starting the opening ceremony soon. We should head to the dance floor."

*

7:30 PM

*

The young couple made it into the densely packed crowd around the main stage just in time for the "official" welcome and start of the Prom proper. Of course, as soon as the niceties were out of the way the DJ hosting the night hit the first track and pumped up the volume. The energetic beats and tunes immediately sparked the throng of teens to life, and a wave of bodies started to move and shake around the stage as they all happily cut loose and released the pent-up stress of four years' worth of high school.

Miri and Noelle were right in the midst of them all, and were no less eager to start the party. Noelle of course easily burst into a vibrant frenzy of beautiful movement, dance coming to her as naturally as breathing. Miri was unsurprisingly much more stiff and awkward in his motions, but with Noelle smiling at him so brilliantly and encouragingly at him all the while, the little Bat found that for once he simply did not care about what anyone else around them saw or thought, he was just so happy to be dancing with the girl he loved more than any other.

The first few songs started out highly energetic, inspiring wildly waving arms and enticingly shaking hips, but the DJ also knew why so many of these young boys and girls had shown up together, and he knew when to slow down the pulse, give them that moment to get closer to each other that so many had been waiting for.

And when the songs started to slow and encourage a softer moment Miri didn't hesitate to bring Noelle right into his embrace, the Blonde just as eager to press up close to her beloved Bat and loop her arms around his neck, bring their faces so close together that she just couldn't wipe the smile off her face no matter how hard she might've tried.

Miri looked even more dizzy and dreamy than the girl in his arms, not a hint of anxiety on his face as he just gazed adoringly at the only girl in the world that could bring him so far out of his shell. His feet moved, the two of them slowly swayed together, but the little Beast didn't give any real thought to what he was actually doing or anything around them; all he cared about in this moment was that he was with Noelle, for once just a quiet, peaceful moment where it was just the two of them, no one to interrupt or intrude, where she didn't need to tease or mess with him, rile him up for her own amusement. It was just the two of them together, and that by itself was enough to make them both so perfectly happy.

As the young couple enjoyed their slow, rhythmic dance, Miri's hands inevitably wound their way up from Noelle's hips until he'd circled his arms behind her shoulders, in the process wrapping his velvet-like wings around the girl, snugly enveloping nearly her entire back from waist to nape. Noelle sighed so contentedly as she laid her head against the Bat's chest, melting so deeply into his embrace she nearly forget to keep moving her feet.